In an effort to make the campus more environmentally conscious, Student Government Association (SGA) senator for Student Affairs Hannah Bacon put forth a proposal for Chartwells to switch from plastic to reusable cutlery.

“I want to diminish our plastic use in the cafeteria not only because it aligns with my future career goals, but because I also want to take personal responsibility for our planet,” said the freshman senator. “We all should.”

There are multiple complications, such as installing and fixing dishwashers, which can delay the project.

However, this does not deter Bacon, who will continue to serve as the senator for Student Affairs next academic term and promises to work alongside Chartwells to make the potential switch happen.

“This college is proud to promote our campus as an arboretum in the community recycling event we partake in once a year, but this is not enough,” she explained. “We need to think about changing daily actions like dining, printing, energy use in order to be a genuine leader in sustainability.”

“It's important to note that making personal life changes are great, but we also need to look at the institutions we reside under to make changes with us,” Bacon added.

In a brief exchange with The Leader, Kelly Schmelter, director of dining services confirmed the potential switch is in the works, but nothing has been decided as of now.

According to Bacon and fellow SGA senator for Community Outreach, Juweria Ali, the Cafe is also planning on switching to buffet options so students can choose their own portions, in an effort to reduce food waste.

Bacon also hopes to replace the plastic bottles and cups in the Cafe with reusable water bottles. She suggests that EC provide new students with durable bottles during orientation and start selling them in the Cafe as well.

“Getting a cafeteria standard water bottle for every student to use is ideal, but is a big project to tackle,” admitted Bacon.